A Discussion and Revelation
by Luciiraptar
Summary: Myka doesn't know why it's such a big deal to Claudia.


**A/N: So this is something based on a single line from a fic from **Redlance-ck** who is brilliant and you should go read and review all her stuff. Anyways, if you want everything to be happy and stuff, stop at the first break. Past that is sadness, then happiness, but sadness first. So there's your warning.**

* * *

Myka stared, slightly confused and annoyed, but mostly amused, at the redheaded woman. "Claud, no."

"But, Myka…"

"Claudia, I said no!"

Claudia pouted. "Well, it's gonna happen eventually, we all know it, and I just think it'd be nice if—"

"_If_," Myka repeated, "it happens, it will be between Helena and I only. An 'our business' type of thing."

Claudia threw up her arms. "It's not like I want to steal them! All I want is to name your kids!"

They'd been having the argument for a few days; Claudia was convinced that Myka and H.G. were about to have a baby, at any moment, and was desperate to supply Myka with names. She would've pestered H.G., but the first time she attempted to annoy the author, the Englishwoman had used an artifact to convince Claudia she was on fire. She was rolling around for hours.

Personally, Myka had no idea why this was so important to Claudia.

The older woman let out a sigh. "Listen, Claudia. _If_ Helena and I ever decide to have children, which I doubt because this is so not the place to raise a kid, you will be their awesome aunt. But you won't get to name them. That's between my girlfriend and I."

Claudia frowned and started to say something, but Myka interrupted. "Why are you so insistent about this, anyways?"

Claudia shrugged a bit, strangely skittish. "It's nothing. Whatever, I have to go." And so she did, hurrying away.

Myka was immediately suspicious. The redhead had been incredibly insistent about this for days. It was literally the only thing she talked about… and now she was giving up.

She was about to go after the girl, when there was a loud crash a few aisles over. Myka sighed and shouted, "Pete, what did you break this time?"

"Nothing! I swear! It was H.G.!"

"It was most certainly Pete, I assure you!" Myka smiled at her lover's voice, as she went to go be angry at her partner.

* * *

Leena was cleaning up in Pete's room, which was perpetually messy, when she heard the door slam and was concerned. Everyone was supposed to be in the Warehouse, doing inventory.

She went downstairs, and found Claudia in the kitchen, shaking slightly, hands gripping the counter so tight Leena was a little worried Claudia would break it. And her aura was off.

Stepping forward, Leena placed a hand on Claudia's shoulder and whispered, "Claudia? Are you okay?"

The redhead startled and spun around, and Leena saw the tears leaving her eyes and falling down her face. "No, Leena. I'm not okay. Remember a few weeks ago when I wasn't feeling well?" Leena did remember. She had been worried.

She simply nodded in response.

"And when I came back from Dr. Vanessa's office, I said it wasn't a big deal." Claudia sobbed. "But it was a big deal, Leena!" She broke down completely, then, and Leena grabbed her as the girl fell, held her close.

Leena didn't know exactly what was upsetting the girl, and she didn't want to know yet, because Claudia was much too upset for that sort of conversation. She picked Claudia up and carried her to her bedroom, setting her on the bed. Then, Leena kneeled next to her. "Don't talk any more," she said softly. "Rest, Claudia. I'm going to go downstairs and make some tea. Then, I'm going to come back up and we'll talk. Okay?"

Claudia nodded with a sniffle.

Leena nodded again, and gave Claudia a hug before continuing with her plan. She checked on Claudia twice while preparing the tea, and found the girl sitting up in bed as she entered with two hot cups. "I feel sort of pathetic," Claudia grumbled, rubbing at her eyes, a certain tone making Leena certain she was so close to crying again. "I mean, you're taking care of me like a mom would. I'm twenty and I still need a mom."

Leena frowned playfully at Claudia as she settled onto the bed next to her. "I like to think of myself as a big sister, Claudia. I'm nowhere near old enough to be your mother."

Claudia smiled weakly, as she sipped her tea. "How old are you, anyways?"

"What were you saying about the doctor visit?"

"Leena, it doesn't work if we're both deflecting."

Leena sighed, and Claudia shifted. "Well, Vanessa gave me just a general checkup and didn't find anything wrong… but I felt like something was, y'know? So I asked her if it could be something else, and we talked for a while about… mental illnesses and decided it wasn't anything like that… and then…"

Claudia went to a far-away place, and Leena waited patiently. It was obviously something she needed to cope with in her own way. Leena would try to help her along, if she could.

After a long time, Claudia continued. "She said it was probably that place my idiot brother got himself stuck in that did it." Her voice was bitter, which shocked Leena; she'd never been anything except sympathetic towards that situation before.

"That did what?"

"That made me infertile."

Leena let out a half-choked noise without realizing it. "Claude…"

"Yeah." Claudia pulled her legs up to her chest. "It's taken a while to sink in. I'm infertile. Barren. Never having kids. I mean, I never really planned on it in the first place. Like Myka said, this is totally not the best place to raise kids. And I don't think you can ever really leave the Warehouse. I certainly won't. I'm going to be taking care of this place forever, once Mrs. Frederic is done."

Leena took both their cups and set them down, then took Claudia's hands. "Tell you what, Claude. I'll be here with you, for as long as you're caretaker."

Claudia smiles faintly, and then it disappears. "Not ever, Leena. I won't ever have kids. I'm twenty, Leena, twenty years old, and I'm going to live for, like, thousands of years, and I'm never going to have children."

"I can still have children."

The sentence surprises Leena as much as Claudia, but Claudia is confused by it. "I mean, if you're saying you'd like to let me adopt, cool, but…"

Leena was losing her nerve fast, so she pulled Claudia closer and kissed her.

After a moment, she pulled away and repeated, "I can still have children," and then she kissed Claudia again.

A few held breaths later, Claudia kissed back.

"And this isn't some grief thing, either," Claudia grumbled when they pulled away. "So don't you go convincing yourself out of this later. I'm holding you to that thing you said earlier, about being with me forever. And if you die, I'm bringing you back to life." Claudia kissed Leena again, hard. "And I'm gonna want children, too. Adorable little fat kids with red hair."

"Eventually," Leena added with a faint smile. "Eventually, Claudia. In a few years, or ten."

Claudia let out a happy sigh, cuddling against Leena. "I had a crush on you since I saw you, you know."

"I suspected. I didn't know."

"Well, I did." Claudia kissed Leena again. "And I'm going to be doing a lot more of that."

Leena grabbed her tea and lifted it to her lips. "So, you're going to stop pestering Myka and H.G. about their hypothetical baby?"

"I guess. I mean, since I have to start brainstorming for my own."

* * *

A few months later, Myka announced that she and H.G. were going to have a baby.


End file.
